Vehicle track chain



' Jan. 16, 1940. H. A. .KNOX

VEHICLE TRACK CHAIN Filed Sept. 20, 19:57

Inventur Harry A 'Knux Patented Jan. 16, 1940 Y UNITED STATES. PAT ENT OFFlCE' .....;.T;fftifi.iifi. Application September 2Q,'193 '7, Seriallio. 164,744

9 Claims. (Cl. 305-) (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amendedApril so, macro 0. G. 757) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for j governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a-vehicle track chain.

The purpose of the invention is to provide a track in which a shoe may include thick rubber blocks while maintaining the height of the shoe at a minimum.- I

This is accomplished by including in the shoe a metal plate having integral laterally projecting link pins for mounting resilient bushings and rigid links A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient arrangement for holding the links and bushings in place.

To these and other ends the invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of elements described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims" forming a part of this specification.

A practical'embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of the lower flight of a track constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the metal plate.

I Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view .on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. v

, Fig. 4 is a view in side elevation of Fig. 1.

The track comprises a row of shoes A connected in spaced relation by links B.

The shoes are all identical and each consists of a metal plate 5 which may be of the open type 5 shown in U. S. Patent 2,129,696 and having on its two sides flanges ii which merge at the tour corners with inwardly extending reinforced portions 1. A- laterally projecting link pin 8 is formed integrally with the plate at each reinforced 4o corner-and its outer portion is provided with an axial threaded recess 9 and with longitudinally extending serrations ID on its periphery.

Blocks lll of rubber or rubber-like material vulcanized to opposite faces of the plate 5 are connected by end portions l2 and by side portions l3 'so that the rubber encloses all of the plate except the sides in the vicinity of the link pins.

The links? are all identical and each one is mounted on adjacent link pins of adjacent shoes. Each link includes two bearings ll--ll and in each bearing is a bushing consisting of an inner metal sleeve .l5 and an outer sleeve iii of resilient rubber-like material fixed to the sleeve l5 as" by vulcanization. The bushing is inse.ted in the bearing and it is firmly held in place by comlink pin.

' with, said pins formed pression of the rubber sleeve, by vulcanization,

or .in any other appropniate manner. The sleeve .l5 is provided internally'with serrations H which interengage the complementary serrations on the Each link constitutesa driving lug and 5 includes anupstanding guide lug l8 on the portion adjacent the shoe and a pair of cleats l9,-|9

on the ground-engaging side.

' A screw 20 threaded in the recess 9 of each link pin 8 has a large head 2| which serves to confine the'bushing, the link, and 'a fiber washer 22 which is engaged by the threads of the screw.

As seen in Fig. 3 the links andbushings, being positioned laterally of the shoes, in no way interfere with or limit thethickness oi. the rubber blocks ll-I|. It will be readily apparent from an inspection of the drawings that if the bearings M were extended through the shoe the thickness of rubber, would beconsiderably reduced. The height of the shoe of this application is two and one-half inches while the height of a shoe containing the bushing would have to be over threeinches to provide the same thickness of rubber. Such a thick shoe is not only of increased weight but is subject to greater wear 5 and scufling as the shoe leaves or engages the ground in moving about the track wheels.

The links B may be easily and. quickly removed when it is desired to invert or replace a shoe. As is well understood in the art the relative angular movement or the shoes is permitted by dis-- tortion of the rubber sleeve is.

I claim:

A vehicle track chain comprising. a series of spaced shoes, each shoe consisting of a metallic plate having a laterally projecting link pin at each of the four corners and integral therewith, said. pins formed with serrations, a block of rubber-like material on each face of the plate, end and side pieces of rubberlike material con- 4 necting the blocks, a link having a pair oi! bearings for connecting adiacent pins of adjacent shoes, 9. bushing in each bearing consisting of an inner .metallic sleeve having serrations interengaging the serrations of a link ,pin and an outer sleeve of resilient rubber-like material fixed to the inner sleeve and to the bearing and av screw threaded in each link pin and having a head confining the link and bushing.

2. A vehicle track chain comprising a series of spaced shoes, each shoe consisting of a metallic plate having a laterally projecting link pin at each of the four corners and integral thereserrations, a block of rubber-like material on eachdace of the plate,

a link having a pair 01' bearings for connecting adjacent pins of adjacent shoes, .a bushing in each bearing consisting of an inner metallic sleeve having serrations interengaging the serrations of a link pin and an outer sleeve of resilient rubber-like material fixed to the inner sleeve and to the bearing and a screw threaded in'each link pin and having a head confining. the link and bushing.

3. A vehicle track chain comprising a series of spaced shoes, each shoe consisting of a metallic plate having a laterally projecting link pin at each of the four corners and integral therewith, a block of rubber-like material on each face of the plate, a link having a pair of bearings for connecting adjacent pins of adjacent shoes, a-

bushing in each bearing consisting of an 'inner metallic sleeve and an outer sleeve of resilient rubber-like material fixed to the inner sleeve and to the bearing and a screw threaded in each link pin and having a head confining the link and bushing.

4. A vehicle track chain comprising a series of spaced shoes, each shoe consisting of a metallic plate having a laterally projecting link pin at each of the four corners and integral therewith, a block 01' rubber-like material oneach face of the plate, a link connecting adjacent pins of adjacent shoes, and a bushing oi rubber-like material in each bearing.

5. A vehicle track chain comprising a series of spaced shoes, each shoe consisting of a metallice plate having a laterally projecting link pin at each of the four corners and integral therewith, a block 01' rubber-like material oneach face of the plate, and a link connecting adjacent pins of adjacent shoes.

6. A vehicle track chaincomprising aseries of spaced shoes, each shoe including a plate having a laterally projecting link pin at each of the four corners and integral therewith, a link having a pair of hearings for connecting adjacent pins oi adjacent shoes, a bushing in each bearing including an inner metallic sleeve, and an outer sleeve oi. resilient rubber-like material fixed to the inner sleeve and to the bearing.

7. A vehicle track chain comprising a series of spaced shoes, each shoe including a plate having a laterally projecting link pin at each of the tour corners and integral therewith, a link having a pair of bearings for connecting adjacent pins of adjacent shoes, and a screw threaded in each link pin and having a head confining the link and bearing.

8. A vehicle track chain comprising a series 9. A track shoe comprising a metallic plate having a laterally projecting link pin at each of the four corners, a block of rubber-like material on each face of the, plate, and end and side pieces of rubber-like material connecting the blocks.

HARRY A. KNOX. 

